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Pale Saints for a Wednesday morning. With the sad news of the passing of Guitarist and founding member Graeme Naysmith, I ran across this early gig from June 16, 1988 recorded at The Duchess Of York in Leeds.
Pale Saints formed in 1987 in Leeds by singer-bassist Ian Masters, guitarist Graeme Naysmith and drummer Chris Cooper. They began as a jangly indie pop band influenced by Primal Scream’s early sound. By the time Pale Saints recorded their first EP, Barging Into the Presence of God, released in 1989, the band went into a direction that displayed a mix of Ian Masters’ ethereal, choirboy-like vocals along with dark atmospheric and noisy pop tunes. Ashley Horner from Edsel Auctioneer briefly joined the band on guitar in the same year. The band was signed to 4AD Records after their first London show by the label’s chief Ivo Watts-Russell.
Pale Saints first album, The Comforts of Madness, was released in 1990 and reached the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. The album’s tracks were produced by John Fryer and Gil Norton. The album includes a cover version of “Fell from the Sun” by Opal.
In late 1990, Meriel Barham, the original vocalist of Lush, joined the band as second guitarist and vocalist. Barham contributed backing vocals and guitars to the Chris Allison produced Half-Life EP, then joined permanently for the Nancy Sinatra cover “Kinky Love”, which gave the band a minor hit single as part of Flesh Balloon EP. In 1992 the band recorded their second full-length album, In Ribbons, which was produced by Hugh Jones. Ian Masters left the band in 1993, citing his lack of enthusiasm for touring, unlike the remaining members of the band and their record label 4AD. Former Heart Throbs bassist Colleen Browne joined afterwards.
Pale Saints toured Europe and the United States in late autumn 1994. Their final studio recording was a version of “Jersey Girl” for the Tom Waits tribute album Step Right Up. Meriel Barham departed in September 1995, and the group eventually disbanded in 1996.
Despite accruing a loyal fanbase, Pale Saints never reunited, unlike other shoegaze groups of their era such as Slowdive and Ride. However, Graeme Naysmith did eventually make music again with Cooper in The Program, who released three albums in the 2010s, with their final record, The Illusion of Choice, arriving in 2019.
Naysmith never stopped making music. In 2010, he performed under the pseudonym, Jock Strap, in the Longshots, which eventually became the X-Ray Eyes. They were an active part of the Leeds rock scene and supported Clem Burke of Blondie’s The Split Squad at the Brudenell Social Club in October 2023.
Graeme Naysmith passed away on April 4th.
Here’s a reminder of the early days.
